Centre athletes compete, connect during trips abroad
The opportunity to study abroad is a key part of the Centre student experience, with 85 percent of all students taking advantage of the program at least once during their time on campus.
Travel offers students a chance to immerse themselves in other cultures while learning more about the world — and themselves — in the process.
Coaches in Centre’s athletics department have also seen how shared experiences away from campus bring students closer together and foster personal growth. This not only helps students on campus and in the classroom, but also on the playing field.
Centre Athletics routinely gives students the opportunity to travel, train and compete abroad, with Football and Women’s Soccer recently venturing across the Atlantic for games, sightseeing and team bonding.
Head football coach Andy Frye detailed how his team’s 10-day trip to Scotland provided valuable extra practice time to improve the athletes’ skills, and — perhaps more importantly — created lasting memories and strengthened team bonds beyond the field.
“What greater way is there to develop the morale of a football team than to share something so uniquely different together as a team?” Frye said. “That’s probably the biggest joy I get out of this is to see our football team experience something like this.”
Their itinerary included exploring many Scottish cities such as Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow, where they were able to sightsee and share their passion for American football with Europeans. In Edinburgh, the team hosted a clinic to help local players improve their skills. Though the sport is not as widely played in Europe, the Colonels connected with the local athletes they played against because of their shared passion for the sport.
Leading clinics and working across cultures will not only help the team perform better this season, but also encourage players to engage more deeply with the world. Frye related these lessons back to what all students gain during their time at Centre. These students developed a strong foundation of collaboration, adaptability and passion on campus — but traveling abroad together deepens those skills in powerful new ways.
“We promise all Centre students you’re going to have transformative experiences abroad, with internships, in the classroom and in all extracurricular activities, including sport,” he said. “I would say we’ve done that to the hilt. To take a football team overseas to experience the things that we want student athletes to experience means we’re doing it.”
Similarly, the women's soccer team traveled to Ireland to play three games, train and explore the Emerald Isle. The coaches wanted to use the trip as a chance to bond and made sure everyone was interacting with one another. Their intentional decisions included having players switch roommates throughout the trip and dedicating one motorcoach for the team and another for family.
“This allows not only the players to grow as a group but for the families to come together as well,” head coach Jay Hoffman said. “It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Each player is representing Centre and playing with some of their best friends while taking in Ireland. It doesn’t get better than this.”
Teams in recent years have taken similar approaches with Centre Swim and Dive bonding over cooking classes and distance training in Italy, and Baseball visiting the Dominican Republic for a team service trip.
Coaches attest to the competitive advantage they have gained from such trips. Swim and Dive coach Dean Brownley said the squad’s 2023 trip was planned after hearing lacrosse coaches extoll the benefits of traveling abroad.
Soccer player Claire Mullen, class of 2027, emphasized the value of the experience for students — a chance to see the world and make lasting memories with friends.
“We’re exposed to other cultures, which makes us reflect on what we can learn from Irish culture to make us better people, teammates and soccer players,” she said. “This experience has provided us with an amazing opportunity to strengthen our bonds in a new environment!”
